Preface

• Author: Robert Chambers
• Pages: 17-18

xvii

PR EFAC E

Property law has a fearsome reputation, which is only partly deserved.

Every subject has its own specialist vocabular y, but property has more

than its fai r share. It is f‌illed with terms like fee simple est ate, mortgage,

and incorporeal hereditament, which are still in use today but derive

their meaning from laws and conditions that existed in England in

centuries past. It can be dicult to see beyond the complexity to grasp

the coherent structure of the subject. This book is intended to provide

an accessible and enjoyable introduction to the law of property that

will help the reader underst and both the subject as a whole and its f‌iner

details.

I f‌irst studied property law as an LLB student in the 1980s before

the internet age. We spent long hours reading badly photocopied cases,

trying to decipher not just the meaning of strange words but the actual

words themselves. I strug gled to make sense of it. For much of that year,

property law seemed an overwhelming jumble of antiques and I could

see no pattern or structure to t hem. Fortu nately, it began to make sen se

shortly before the f‌inal exam or I would have had a dierent career.

It has been my great privilege to teach property for the past twenty-

f‌ive years in Melbourne, Edmonton, London, and now in Kamloops.

It is so rewarding to see students unravel its mysteries and come to

enjoy — and perhaps even love — a subject they once feared. This book

has been shaped by those experiences.

There are many dierent ways to approach property law and t here is

a wide variety of syllabu ses used in property law courses acros s Canada